Floods affect 16 districts in Assam

Incessant rain for the past two days forced water levels in Brahmaputra and its tributaries to rise above the danger mark, affecting 12.65 lakh people in 16 districts of Assam.

The latest state government report released on Tuesday revealed that the floods have also affected crops spread over in 1.12 lakh acres in the 16 districts.

Situation in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts worsened as the Subanri river is in spate due to heavy downpour in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, while the Jiadhal river has also breached an embankment in Dhemaji district.

In Dibrugarh, the situation continues to remain grave with the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flowing above the danger mark.

Thirty-five villages have been submerged in Dibrugarh East, Dibrugarh West and Chabua revenue circle, impacting more than 23,000 people. Flood water has inundated 31,665 hectares of cultivated land in this district.

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been pressed into service in various districts to assist the state government in rescue and relief efforts.

So far, seven people have died in the floods - one each in Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Nalbari, Golaghat and Barpeta and two in Morigaon districts, officials said. The floods have affected crops in 90,867 hectares of land across the state.

According to officials in the State secretariat, district administrations have set up 118 relief camps, providing shelter to 95,922 people in the 15 flood-hit districts of Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Karbi Anglong besides Dhemaji and Lakhimpur.

State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) officials said the Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing above danger level at Nematighat, Dhubri and Dibrugarh; the Jai Bharali river crossed the danger level at Sonitpur and Kopili while the Beki river has breached the red line at Nagaon and Barpeta district.

Flood waters have also entered Kaziranga and Dibru Choikhowa national parks, but officials said there is no report of major damages.

Alarming levels of water in Brahmaputra has forced the Inland Water Transport (IWT) department to temporarily suspend river navigation in places like Guwahati, Jorhat and Dhubri. Local authorities have supplied 375.66 quintal rice, 69.8 quintal dal (pulses), 20.89 quintal salt and 35 packets to the marooned people.

The teams from Public Health Engineering, Health and Veterinary departments have also been deployed in the flood–ravaged areas.

Asom Yuba Parishad (AYP) members, headed by its president Sunil Rajkonwar, surveyed the flood–affected areas of Larua and Khowang Mouzas and took stock of the post–flood development, a release said. They also demanded adequate relief for flood-hit people.